A historic downtown Wilmington building that's been an eyesore for years could soon be getting a tony transformation.
Known to many as the former home of the Taste of Country Southern-style buffet, which lured diners in the 1990s and early 2000s, new owners say there are plans to turn the W.G. Fowler house at 226 S. Front St., which dates to the Civil War era, into a pirate-themed boutique hotel with a basement bar and adjoining event space.
In October 2025, John Richardson and his wife, Ruby Franzello, purchased the house and an adjoining lot for $800,000 under the auspices of Captain John Enterprises LLC.
The couple, which has a house in Charlotte and an apartment in Wilmington, was living on Ann Street at the time and would often walk past the vacant
structure.
"We saw a bunch of potential," Richardson said. "It was on a lark, really. We were looking for a place to buy."
The building has been "completely gutted," Richardson said, but he and his wife were charmed by the views of downtown and the Cape Fear River from the building's upper floors.
"The views are incredible," Richardson said. "You can see everything."
Eventually, the couple settled on doing what Richardson called "a boutique hotel" with a pirate theme named The Pirate and The Pearl. The long-term plan calls for a bar in the basement named the Nauti Pirate.
Plans also call for a wedding/event space with offices and a back garden built in the currently vacant lot next door.
"We're looking forward to it," Richardson said, adding his wife has a background in interior design.
Richardson said he and his wife are hoping to close soon on a commercial loan to pay for renovations by Addis Home Builders of Wilmington, which has worked on such historic Wilmington structures as St. Thomas Preservation Hall, the Bellamy Mansion, the Burgwin-Wright House and the Station No. 2 Event Venue and former firehouse on Castle Street.
"We hope to start work in a couple of months," said Brooks Addis, owner of Addis Home Builders.
Addis said the project is currently in the permitting stage. Recently, the dilapidated front porch of the structure was largely removed.
Eventually, plans calls for adding on to the back and top of the Fowler house to bring the building up to about 7,000 square feet, Addis said.
Along with a former Salvation Army building-turned-boutique hotel across the street, the Fowler house is the last remaining historic structure on the 200 block of South Front Street.
About a decade ago, the building was nearly torn down.
A 2014 report by Wilmington's Historic District Commission, now known as the Historic Preservation Commission, said the house dates to 1865. Originally the house had a "porch encroaching on the street," but "in 1915, the house was moved west to its current location and the interior and exterior were remodeled."
Owners in 2014 were given a one-year stay of demolition after announcing plans to tear down the building, but the house ultimately escaped the wrecking ball.
At the time, the commission recommended the one-year stay because the "property is historically and architecturally significant and contributes to the historic aspects and character of the Downtown Commercial Historic District Overlay. … The demolition of the subject property will result in the loss of historic character of the block, the streetscape and (downtown) as a whole."
The house then passed into the hands of Peter Koke, who attempted some renovations, though the building was generally regarded as an eyesore even as it retained promise.
In 2023, the city of Wilmington took ownership of the building and other properties owned by Koke as part of a $2.1 million settlement that put to rest ongoing issues with Koke, including litigation.
In 2023, Dave Nathans of Wilmington's Urban Building Corp LLC bought the house and adjoining lot for $600,000, selling it last year. Nathans is known for, among other things, helping to restore the former St. Andrews church on North Fourth Street into the Brooklyn Arts Center.
New owner Richardson said he and his wife look forward to getting feedback on the project, including memories from folks who've spent time in the Fowler house over the years.
John Staton is the arts and culture reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him at jstaton@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Long vacant, historic downtown Wilmington house plans big renovation
